


Jihoon Has Regrets

by Baby_Tummy



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Burping, M/M, Stomach Ache
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 17:23:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16454180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baby_Tummy/pseuds/Baby_Tummy
Summary: Junhui takes Jihoon out for lunch. Poor Jihoonie ends up with an upset stomach.





	Jihoon Has Regrets

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, I am trash and welcome to my sin bin.

Jihoon has regrets.

Oh, when Junhui had asked him to take their lunch break together, it had sounded like a good idea. Junhui even offered to pay for the food. Jihoon's not above accepting free food, especially from the guy he’s interested in, so he'd gone happily.

Now he's wishing he hadn't.

Junhui had taken him to a Chinese restaurant. Simple enough, right? Jihoon likes Chinese food. He really likes Junhui. So he was fine with this decision. He'd asked Junhui to order for him, since he knew the menu better. This was a mistake.

"You like spicy jajangmyeon noodles, right? You should try the dandan noodles!"

It had seemed innocent enough. He'd agreed amicably.

Bad idea, Lee Jihoon.

Now he's sitting in a Chinese restaurant with Wen Junhui, trying not to do something stupid like keel over and die, because his mouth is on fire, he's tearing up, and he feels like he's going to puke.

"What do you think?" Junhui asks, trying to mask his excitement by shoving a dumpling into his mouth. His cheeks bulge out cutely. He looks like a hamster.

"G-good," Jihoon manages, gritting his teeth and forcing a smile. “It's good."

He silently apologizes for every time he's made fun of his brother for getting heartburn. It's not funny.

Junhui beams at him. "I'm glad you like it! I know it's pretty spicy, and it can be a little much if you're not used to it... but you like it! So that's good!" His smile seems to widen impossibly, and Jihoon swears that his eyes are shining. "I miss having someone to eat with... Ever since Minghao transferred departments, I've been eating alone. Soonyoung-ssi doesn't like spicy food, and Wonwoo-ssi just doesn't like Chinese food. Jihoon-ssi, you'll have to be my dinner partner, then!"

Normally, that brilliant smile and kind words would be enough to make Jihoon's heart skip a few beats, but he's trying too hard not to die to be quite so flustered by his little work crush. He'd love to be Junhui's dinner partner. He really would. But it's just too spicy, he's going to die.

He forces an awkward laugh. "Uh, yeah, Junhui-ssi. I-I'd like that."

He's honestly surprised that there aren't tears running down his cheeks. He's sure he must be awfully red in the face. His tongue feels swollen and painful in his mouth, and his stomach is already doing backflips. He can't finish this meal. He really, really can't.

Junhui looks so happy, though.

"You should eat well, then," he says, gesturing to Jihoon's bowl. "This place makes really good food." With that, he takes another mouthful of his own food, guobaorou or some similar name that Jihoon can't pronounce properly.

Jihoon looks down at his full bowl, feeling sweat beading on his brow. He's barely had any, and his stomach is already churning something awful. He has no idea how he's supposed to finish it all.

Cursing himself internally, he starts to eat. Instantly, he feels like he's lit a fire in his mouth. It burns, it burns so bad. But he's got to keep eating. It'll make Junhui happy if he does.  
He only makes it about a quarter of the way through the bowl before he has to stop, taking a long draft of his water.

Junhui only smiles at him. "It's nice and hot, isn't it? Spicy?"

Jihoon nods weakly, wishing that the water could bring more relief to his poor tongue. "I-It's very good, Junhui-ssi." His stomach gurgles unhappily, and he hides a wince. 

Gritting his teeth, he faces the bowl once more. He's got to finish it. He has to. No matter how miserable it makes him feel, he has to finish his meal.

Forcing himself to eat is so hard. He brings the chopsticks to his mouth robotically, overwhelmed by his distress. But he keeps going, trying to make this agony end as quickly as possible. He has to stop twice more to drink, but he makes his way to the bottom of the bowl. He’s pretty sure that his mouth has gone numb.

He regrets this outing. He is full of regret and spicy noodles.

His stomach rumbles ominously, and he bites back a sickening closed-mouth burp that tastes disgustingly of bile and spices. The food is not sitting well. He’s left with an ache in his stomach and a burning sensation in his chest, feeling way too full and bloated. His stomach is roiling. He feels sick. Ohh, does he feel sick. 

Junhui smiles brightly at him. "How was the meal?"

Jihoon swallows thickly, trying his best to keep down the belch that’s bubbling in the back of his throat. “You picked a good restaurant, Junhui-ssi.” He pauses, breathing deeply. “Thank you for the food.”

He presses his fist to his mouth, stifling the belch that tries to slip out. Junhui doesn't notice. He's too busy being delighted with the fact that Jihoon is a willing meal partner.

"I can definitely bring you back here again!” he enthuses, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiles. It's really cute. Jihoon wishes he didn't feel so sick. Maybe he'd be brave enough to comment on it.

As it is, it's hard to do so much as look him in the eye.

"I'm going to run to the restroom right quick before we head back to work, alright? And remember, I'm paying, so don't worry about that.” Junhui smiles at him a little more. He's been smiling a lot today.

Jihoon holds his breath until Junhui has left the table. His hand goes to his mouth again, and he lets out a deep, rumbling belch. His chest burns, his stomach aches, and he just feels so sick and bloated that he considers ditching the rest of his shift to go home and nurse his swollen stomach. His ears burning red, he lets out another loud, wet belch, trying frantically to muffle it behind his hand.  
He is so glad that nobody is paying attention to him right now. Thank god for Junhui picking a table in the back corner.

He ducks his head, a little bit mortified, as a gurgling burp bubbles up his throat. It seems so loud, but somehow nobody has noticed. His stomach groans a little in protest. He feels really nauseous. And he’s still got a shift to finish while keeping Junhui from noticing his distress. This is going to be a fun afternoon.

Breathing deeply, he tries to calm his distressed stomach. He needs to calm down. He can put up with the burning pain in his chest, and he can probably beg some painkillers from Joshua when they get back to work, but if he ends up puking, there’s not much he can do.

Junhui’s so pleased with the fact that he’s willing to come out to eat with him. He can’t let him know about this. Not when this is his chance to get closer to him.

Jihoon grits his teeth and steadies himself, ignoring the way his stomach churns. He can do this. He can.

He can not.

A loud belch tears out of him, bringing up something hot and wet in the back of his throat. His hands fly to his mouth. For several seconds, he anxiously clamps his mouth shut, swallowing convulsively, hoping desperately that he’s not about to puke. Please, no.

Nothing more comes up. Thank God.

He’s still a little pale when Junhui returns, but the other boy either doesn’t notice or doesn’t comment. “You ready to go?”

Jihoon nods weakly, getting to his feet. He feels a little shaky.

He stumbles up the the front and waits while Junhui processes the payment with the ahjumma at the register. His stomach is doing flips. He feels extremely nauseous, but he’s trying to keep breathing deeply to calm his stomach. If he can just get back to work…

Junhui smiles at him brightly, pocketing his wallet. “Alright, time to head back! Do you want me to call for a taxi?”

He’s in a good mood because Jihoon came out to eat with him. Jihoon is going to do this again and again and again, willing to suffer through the horrible stomach ache and nausea, just to see that look on Junhui’s face, because, he is just so goddamn whipped for him.

“Y-yeah. Yeah, sure. Let’s go.” He swallows hard, trying not to let out the belch rising in the back of his throat.

There is practically an aura of happiness surrounding Junhui as they wait on the sidewalk. He’s humming something under his breath, a seemingly permanent grin on his face. Jihoon is feeling considerably less pleasant. He’s relieved when the taxi pulls up. They’ll be back to work soon, they’ll go their separate ways, and he can beg Joshua for painkillers, and, if he’s lucky, an antacid. He honestly can’t wait to get off work tonight.

Junhui opens the taxi door for him with an over-exaggerated flourish. Jihoon can’t help but grin at him a little, sliding in across the seat. Junhui is quick to join him, closing the door and giving the driver directions back to the office.

They ride for a few minutes until Junhui breaks the silence.

“Thanks for coming with me,” he says quietly, still with that great big smile. “I’m glad you came. I missed going out for lunch break.”

That’s too much for Jihoon, soft words and a sweet smile. He’s flustered beyond belief and struggling to hide it. “I -- I like it,” he stammers, trying to keep his words in order and his stomach calm. “I like eating with you.”

“I’m glad!” Junhui laughs. “It wouldn’t be fair for me to drag you out to eat if you didn’t want to come.”

Normally, Jihoon would try to keep the conversation going. Maybe try and meet Junhui’s banter. But right now, he’s too busy trying to make sure that his stomach doesn’t escape out his mouth. The burning in his chest has abated somewhat, but he still feels extremely nauseous. The taxi hits a bump in the road, and he gulps. He shifts his weight a little, looking out the window.  
This second awkward silence has led Junhui to pull out his phone, but he looks up now, distracted by the movement. Jihoon forces a little smile. His stomach is still doing flips, but he’s going to do his damn best to pretend nothing is wrong.

It’s not like it’s a long drive back to the office building.

But then his stomach lurches, and he makes a sick sound in the back of his throat. Junhui’s head snaps up, looking at him with wide, worried eyes. No, no, no, he can’t be sick now. Please, no. Jihoon swallows hard. Oh, no. He inhales deeply, letting his eyes close, then exhales slowly, trying his very best to calm his stomach. He feels sick. He feels so sick. They’re almost there, he can tough it out for a few more minutes.

Junhui touches his arm gently, and his heart rate spikes. “Are you alright?”

Jihoon nods fervently. That makes his stomach lurch again, but the relief on Junhui’s face is just about worth the sudden fear of puking all over himself.

“Fine,” he manages, forcing a smile through gritted teeth. “I’m fine. I’m great.”

He rests his head against the cool glass of the window and tries to focus on the feeling of Junhui’s hand on his arm. He will not be sick. They’re less than a block away from the sweet, sweet salvation of the office and the wonderful Joshua Hong, who will assuredly have the cure to what ails him. He’ll feel better soon.

He’s grateful when the taxi pulls up outside the office building. Junhui pays the fare as he gets to his feet, his legs shaky beneath him. He nearly stumbles when he steps out onto the sidewalk. The taste of vomit fills his mouth as he muffles a sickening closed-mouth burp.

But Junhui smiles at him, and suddenly, things seem a lot better.

“Thanks for coming with me,” he says again, grinning. “I’m gonna go clock in, alright? I’ll see you later, Jihoon-sseu!”

Jihoon’s lovesick heart is now troubling him just as much as his stomach. Was that a mispronunciation, or intentionally cute familiar language? It doesn’t matter, it’s cute, it makes his heart beat faster. Watching Junhui saunter off into the building, he presses a hand to his chest, taking a moment to dwell on his emotions.

Then another wave of nausea sweeps over him, and his mood is ruined.

He stumbles his way onto the office, resisting the urge to wrap his arms around his stomach. The elevator is empty, which he’s thankful for. He lets out the wet belch that rumbles up his throat, a queasy little moan slipping past his lips.

The elevator dings as the doors slide open, and Jihoon trudges his way over to his so-called cube farm, veering right to go see Joshua.

Joshua isn’t expecting him, but seems pleased to see him, looking up from his computer with a grin. “Jihoon-ah! How was lunch?” he calls, getting to his feet. It takes him a second to take in Jihoon’s miserable appearance. “Are you okay?”

Jihoon looks up at him with tired eyes. “Can I complain to you, hyung?”

“Of course, of course!” Joshua ushers him into the storage closet behind his desk. It’s not actually used for storage, but is basically a second office for Joshua. He sits down on a box, gesture for Jihoon to take a seat. “You tell me what’s wrong, now, Jihoonie. Is there anything I can do for you?”

Jihoon exhales slowly. “Yeah… you got any painkillers, hyung?” He swallows hard, fighting back the sick feeling threatening to overtake him. “And maybe an antacid?”

Joshua is on his feet in an instant, fretting over him. Jihoon doesn’t know where he gets this stuff, but Joshua’s desk is full of various over-the-counter medicines, painkillers, antihistamines, bandages, you name it, Joshua has it. If anyone in the office is in any kind of mild distress, the first step is always to go straight to Joshua.

He reappears with a small paper cup of water and a handful of small pills. He offers them to Jihoon, a look of concern on his face. “The tablets are for your stomach, the capsule is for the pain. The little pills are just vitamins, they’ll help you feel better, Jihoonie.”

Jihoon wrinkles his nose at the nickname, but nods gratefully, downing the pills one by one. Wen Junhui and Joshua Hong are the lights of his life, he swears. He wouldn’t be able to cope with Junhui if it weren’t for Joshua.

It seems his stomach isn’t reacting so well to the antacids, though. He chokes off a sick-sounding belch, pressing his fist to his mouth. “I don’t feel so good, hyung.”

“Do you need to go home?” Joshua worries, feeling Jihoon’s forehead with the back of his hand. “I’m sure I can cover for you, I can talk to Seungcheol if you want to go home and get some rest.”  
Jihoon opens his mouth to respond, but all that comes out is a deep, wet belch. He hurriedly presses his hand over his mouth, his ears burning red, certain he can feel something rising in the back of his throat.

“Jihoonie?” Joshua asks nervously. “Are you alright? Are you going to be sick?”

Jihoon doesn’t dare attempt to answer, keeping his hands clamped over his mouth as his stomach is in turmoil. Joshua darts off again, only to return with a bucket and a needle, of all things, from god knows where, and Jihoon is confused for several moments before he remembers that finger pricking is a thing.

“Just in case,” Joshua says, setting the bucket down at Jihoon’s feet. “Give me your hand, Jihoonie.”

Hesitantly, Jihoon pulls one hand away from his mouth, fighting back a wave of nausea as Joshua gently takes his hand and pricks his finger with the needle. A bead of blood wells up on his fingertip. He swallows hard.

A wet gag bursts out of him, and Joshua goes white, but Jihoon just swallows again, his thin shoulders trembling as he forces down the hot surge of vomit that he can taste in the back of his mouth. He whimpers softly as his stomach cramps up, trying to reject its contents, but he keeps his head down and his mouth shut, swallowing convulsively for so long that a fearful Joshua holds up the bucket under his mouth in case he needs it.

Thankfully, thankfully, he keeps everything down. All that comes out is a long, gurgling belch that leaves Jihoon feeling a lot better. He sighs with relief, letting out a smaller burp as he straightens, a hand drifting down to rest over his stomach. He’s made it through the whole ordeal. He’s not going to be sick. Thank goodness.  
Joshua’s looking a little woozy, he realizes belatedly, looking up at his poor coworker’s pale face. As well-intentioned and well-prepared as he is, Joshua is a little squeamish when it comes to stomach illness. But Joshua just exhales slowly and smiles at him. “Feel better?”

Jihoon nods, muffling another soft belch into his fist. His acquiescence seems to ease the remaining tension, and Joshua sets down the bucket, sighing as he steadies himself. “Good. I’m glad. I really thought you were gonna be sick, Jihoonie.”

A smile plays at the edges of his lips. “Me, too, hyung.”

Joshua scoffs quietly. The colour is coming back into his cheeks now. “What sort of trouble did you get yourself into at lunch that left you feeling so miserable?”

Jihoon can feel his ears go hot as he looks down on his feet. “...Ate something that didn’t agree with me,” he mumbles, not meeting Joshua’s eyes.

“You don’t normally have any issues with eating out,” Joshua says, surprised. Jihoon doesn’t respond, and it takes a moment before it hits him. “Ohh, Junhui-yah took you out for lunch today, didn’t he?”

Jihoon nods sheepishly, trying to hide his embarrassment. Instead of looking up at Joshua, he keeps his gaze trained on the floor, rubbing one hand over the bloat of his stomach. A low belch rumbles up his throat as Joshua fusses over him.

“Poor Jihoonie… Junhui-yah has been looking forward to having lunch with you all week, you know? He’s been telling me about how excited he is to have someone to eat with again. I can see why you don’t want to disappoint him.” Joshua smiles sympathetically. “Did I ever tell you about the first time Hannie took me out to dinner?”

He hasn’t heard this one. There are a number of stories in the office centered around Jeonghan-sajangnim and Joshua, his secretary, but this one isn’t familiar to Jihoon. He shakes his head, intrigued.

“It wasn’t a good time,” Joshua says, laughing ruefully. “The first time he took me out to dinner as a date, we both got food poisoning. Then proceeded to try not to let each other find out that we were sick. It was, like, our third date, and I threw up all over his nice suit. He returned the favor by throwing up on my shoes. Ohh, that was a mess.” He shudders.

Jihoon winces. He is so, so glad that his lunch didn’t turn out like that. He doesn’t know if he could live it down if he ever got sick on Junhui.

“Hannie was going to sue,” Joshua reminisces, “but I talked him out of it. He felt awful about the whole affair. He tried to get me to take the week off, spoiled thing that he is, thinking that I can just drop a week’s worth of planned events to recover.”

Oh, wow. What a horrible suggestion, taking time off to recover from an illness. Jihoon rolls his eyes, muffling a soft burp into his fist. Joshua’s priorities are maybe a little bit skewed.

“But I take it your little outing with Junhui-yah went better than that?” Joshua prompts gently, his eyes alight with interest.

“I-I guess, yeah.” He scratches the back of his neck, keeping his head lowered. “I didn’t get sick, so there’s that. I think he wants to do this again, so I guess he didn’t think it was too bad? And…” His cheeks go hot as he blushes. “...he called me Jihoon-sseu.”

Joshua outright cooes at him. “That’s so sweet! A week ago, he was asking me about some familiar language, and that was one of the things I taught him, aww, Jihoonie, he really likes you!”

Jihoon flushes bright red. That’s not good for his heart, not at all. His heartbeat is spiking at his words.

“You alright, Jihoon-ah?”

“No, no, I’m good now.” Jihoon pinches the bridge of his nose, letting his eyes fall shut. The whole ordeal has worn him out. “Ahh, hyung, I’m tired…”

Joshua pats his knee fondly. “You can go in to Hannie’s office and nap on his couch if you want. He won’t say anything if I send you in. He does that every morning, and I’m honestly surprised that I’m the only one who’s ever caught him at it.”

He rolls his eyes, making Jihoon laugh. Those two have got a strange relationship, but it works for them. “That’s fine, hyung. I need to get back to work, anyway.”

“Alright, if you’re sure. Hannie’s going to be wondering where I’ve gone off to.” He smiles, ruffling Jihoon’s hair as he gets to his feet. “You need anything, you call for me, okay?”

Jihoon nods, pouting a little bit as he tries to fix his hair. Joshua just laughs, heading back out to his desk. Jihoon follows soon after, trudging back to his cubicle and seating himself at his cubicle. He sighs, turning his monitor back on.

To his surprise, there’s a notification waiting for him from an open chat room. His older brother. Yoongi-hyung has sent him a message. Suspiciously, he clicks on the pop-up, wondering what exactly is so important that his brother is bothering him at work.

 

바보형 Stupid Hyung  
데이트는 어땠 니? ㅡㅂㅡ How was your date? ㅡㅂㅡ

 

Jihoon rolls his eyes, blushing once more. That’s none of his business. It wasn’t a date anyway. 

 

두부 Soft Tofu  
ㄷㅊ ;;; Shut up ;;;  
진형이 너와 데이트 할 때 다시 물어봐. Ask me again when you’re dating Jin-hyung.

 

It’s a bit of a low blow, and Yoongi’s response is an assortment of keysmashing and rude words strung together. Jihoon knows all about his little crush on his best friend. And if Yoongi wants to get up in his business, then Jihoon is going to get him right back.

The drama for the day is over. His stomach is settled, his heart is full, and he got the chance to make a snarky comment to his older brother. Not bad.

Jihoon shakes his head, cracks his knuckles, and gets back to work.


End file.
